Democracy Definition Gap

Voters broadly value 'democracy' but disagree on its meaning—some prioritize procedural rules and free elections, others prioritize policy outputs or cultural authority. That definitional split explains why high‑salience events (insurrection, foreign intervention, executive action) produce divergent public reactions and limited cross‑cutting consensus. — If majorities care about democracy but disagree about what it requires, democratic resilience depends less on single events and more on building shared operational definitions and institutional practices that command cross‑tribal credibility.